Moussa Diaby initially impressed – so why are Aston Villa open to selling him?

At first glance, it appears that Moussa Diaby had a successful first season at Aston Villa.

The excitement that surrounded his arrival died down after scoring two goals and providing an assist in his first three games. However, Diaby still managed to score 10 goals and provide nine assists in all competitions. He also made 54 appearances, more than any other player on the team.

In the beginning, many people thought he was the best signing of last summer. Although it was too soon to know for sure, Diaby showed enough enthusiasm to generate excitement. When he first joined Villa Park, the fans in The Holte End would sing to him the song "Voulez-Vous" by ABBA.

Unai Emery has reinvented Diaby by changing his position to a second centre-forward. This has turned the 25-year-old, who used to play as a winger at Bayer Leverkusen, into a sharp attacker. Emery is making the most of Diaby's ability to carry the ball through the middle. In the last year, Diaby has been one of the top five attackers in Europe's top five leagues for making progressive carries, with an average of 3.89 per 90 minutes.

This showed how skilled Emery is as a coach, being able to see potential in a player that other teams thought was limited in his abilities. Before, some people thought Diaby would only be good with one foot and compared him to players like Antony or Nicolas Pepe from Manchester United. When Diaby was on loan at Crotone in Italy in 2018, coaches only saw him as a typical winger in a 4-3-3 formation.

Emery began molding Diaby into a versatile attacker during pre-season in the United States. Despite joining the team later than his colleagues, the French international quickly met with Emery and his upcoming strike partner, Ollie Watkins.

The initial impact Diaby made was extremely positive. His quickness, ball control, and collaboration with Watkins were essential to Villa's attacking strategy, which focused on transitioning quickly and taking advantage of the gaps in the opposing team's defense.

Diaby made a strong impression in the beginning of the previous season.

"In the beginning, the idea was for him to stay near Watkins," Emery explained. "He would pose a threat by exploiting spaces behind the opponent with his skills."

The price Villa paid for Diaby, £34.2 million ($43.9 million) plus potential extras, seemed too high compared to what other top forwards were going for.

Why are Diaby and Villa considering splitting up after less than a year? Saudi Arabian clubs are still interested in them. This time, it's Al Ittihad who are most interested and are offering Villa a profitable deal.

Despite what was previously stated, Emery was not primarily focused on signing Diaby. Instead, his main target was Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams, a 22-year-old forward from Spain who impressed at Euro 2024. Joao Felix remains a possibility as well, as Emery had considered signing him before his loan spell at Barcelona last season.

Williams and Diaby had similar abilities and could play on both sides of the field. Emery created a strategy for them to work well with Watkins in the No 10 position. However, Diaby was not as high on the priority list and was given fewer opportunities by Emery, which became more apparent over time.

The value of his stock dropped significantly, transitioning from a central creative hub to a less important role before ultimately being left out of the home games against Manchester City and Arsenal in December.

Diaby was upset about not being included. The day after missing Villa's victory over Man City, an interview scheduled with Diaby for a foreign TV channel was canceled suddenly. He is a tough player who can get angry when faced with criticism.

"As a teenager, I noticed that he already had the qualities of a grown man, with a wonderful personality," Raffaele Vrenna, the president of Crotone, expressed to The Athletic. "His mature demeanor caught my attention. He is truly a gem - respectful, courteous, and upholding strong values."

I was sure that he had a lot of talent. It was obvious from the start what he could achieve and how much he could grow. However, in Italy, there seems to be more hesitation in giving opportunities to young players compared to other countries. It's disappointing.

Emery tried to help Diaby regain his form and confidence, but it seemed like empty words since Villa was shifting towards a different tactical approach, focusing more on control rather than Diaby's direct style. The manager of Villa continued to publicly support Diaby.

"I am pleased with him," Emery stated. "Although his performances are not always stable, I can empathize as he is still learning and adjusting. It's a challenging situation."

Since Diaby's bank account is running low on credit and he has never been a top priority, it's not shocking that both parties are open to receiving offers from other teams.

Underneath the surface, it is clear that Diaby is facing challenges. His expected goals (xG) rate of 0.29 per 90 minutes was among the lowest 14% for attackers. Emery highlighted the importance of coming up with strategies to overcome defensive formations, and Villa struggled to create space in the middle of the pitch. As a result, Diaby had fewer opportunities to make an impact and was restricted in his movements.

Leon Bailey's performance didn't add much to the situation. Diaby stood out in the summer, but Bailey became the consistent player in the colder months, scoring goals and making important plays. This made Emery realize he didn't need two fast left-footed players in the same position. They only played together in the league six times in the first eight months.

Gently, Emery made some adjustments to Villa's formation when they had the ball. Bailey took over and copied Diaby's movement from the outside to the inside, as Villa transitioned to a midfield shape that was like the one they used in the previous season.

Emery chose to switch things up by replacing the honesty of the Diaby and Bailey partnership with a more cautious approach. He opted for a midfield lineup featuring four central players who were more secure with the ball and focused on finding pockets of space. This tactical change was evident in the team's impressive 5-0 victory over Sheffield United, where Youri Tielemans, a player with a different playing style, took over the role usually occupied by Diaby.

Pay attention to the similarities in the roles played by Tielemans and Diaby.

Throughout the rest of the season, Diaby worked hard to get back to his previous level of performance. He had moments where he made a significant difference, such as delivering crosses that led to late goals in matches against Bournemouth and Luton Town. He also scored a goal against Olympiacos in the semi-final of the UEFA Conference League.

Nevertheless, Diaby's playing time was partly due to injuries suffered by his teammates, which highlighted the fact that he still needed improvement. Despite this, he was called back to the France national team earlier this year, as coach Didier Deschamps believed in taking a gentle approach to help Diaby regain his top form.

Deschamps stated that he still has his good attributes and can make important decisions. He also mentioned that this is a great opportunity for him to take full advantage of being part of this group.

In April, Emery shared his thoughts on Diaby's performance during his first season. Emery mentioned that adapting to the Premier League and the team's expectations can be a challenge for some players. He noted that Diaby has shown improvement and has the ability to play in different positions, such as out wide or as a No 10. Emery expressed satisfaction with Diaby's progress but also advised him to remain calm during challenging moments. Emery stated that he is pushing Diaby to meet high standards and commended his commitment to the team's structure.

However, there is uncertainty surrounding Diaby's role at Villa currently.

The first photo at the top is from Naomi Baker/Getty Images.

Jacob is a sports journalist who writes about Aston Villa for The Athletic. Before that, he covered Southampton FC for the same publication, following three years of writing about football on the south coast. Jacob has also worked as a sports journalist for Reach PLC. In 2021, he won the Football Writers' Association Student Football Writer of the Year award. You can keep up with Jacob on Twitter @J_Tanswell.